How much should you overbid in Amsterdam?

On average, buyers in Amsterdam paid around 7 per cent above the asking price in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Makelaarsvereniging Amsterdam, the city's association of estate agents. That is the short answer. The useful answer is that you are better off not applying that figure to your own asking price.

Most buyers ask what percentage they should add. But an asking price is not a value. It is a starting point chosen by the seller, sometimes deliberately on the low side to draw as many people as possible to the viewing. A percentage on top of an arbitrary starting point says little. The better question is: what is this home worth, and what is it worth to me?

The average differs sharply by district

Behind that 7 per cent lie big differences. In West and Oost, 88 and 87 per cent of buyers respectively paid more than the asking price. In Centrum and Zuid it was roughly two in three. And within every district, homes with twenty viewers sit next to homes with two.

Simply add the average to the asking price, and with one home you won't even be in the running while with another you'll pay too much. What counts is how much interest there is in this particular home, and how the asking price compares with what similar homes in the same neighbourhood actually sold for.

Look at sale prices, not asking prices

Before I advise on a bid, I look at what comparable homes in the area have recently sold for, per square metre. Then I adjust for condition, floor level, outdoor space and ground lease. Asking prices of other homes don't count: they only tell you what a seller hopes for.

How long has the home been on the market?

That may be the most important question. brainbay, the data arm of the NVM, set the time homes spent on the market against the price they fetched. Homes that sell within a month go for 5.4 per cent above asking on average. A home that has been for sale for three to four months sells for 2.5 per cent below asking on average.

In Amsterdam, a home is on the market for 32 days on average. If a home has been listed for much longer, overbidding is usually unnecessary. Something is off with the price or the property, and your bid should reflect that.

The mistake I see most often

Not setting a limit in advance. After three viewings you want a home so badly that you keep raising your bid. So set your maximum before the viewing, based on the value and what your financing allows. Write it down, and stick to it.

The highest bid doesn't always win

Before starting out on my own, I spent two years as an estate agent at Burgersdijk Makelaars, on the selling side. I often saw that the highest bid did not automatically win. A bid with few conditions, a quick completion date or a buyer whose financing was already in place could beat a higher bid that carried a lot of uncertainty. A seller chooses not only the amount, but also the likelihood that the sale goes through.

Dropping conditions: only if you can carry it

A financing condition protects you if the bank can't lend the full amount. If you drop it to strengthen your bid, you need to be certain your financing works, even if the valuation comes in below your bid. You then pay the gap between bid and valuation yourself.

Keep a cool head

There is always another home. More homes are for sale now than a year ago. The real risk is not missing out on a home, but buying one at a price you will be living with for years.

A buyer's agent knows the sale prices in the area, sees what is wrong with a home before you bid, and knows how the selling agent works. And they have no emotional stake. Sometimes that means a sharper bid, sometimes the decision to deliberately let a home go.

Sources: Makelaarsvereniging Amsterdam, Kwartaalcijfers woningmarkt Q2 2026, 9 July 2026; brainbay, Woning langer dan 3 maanden te koop, 9 July 2024, based on transaction data for the second quarter of 2024.